A very special and productive video-conference was held with our sponsored medical student, Myles McKenzie, with President Dennis and Director Valmai welcoming him to the meeting as our guest speaker.

 

 

Myles's presentation was inspirational as he presented where he came from, progress through life with his medical studies and where he sees his aspirations for the future.

 

Myles describes himself as a proud first nations man who completed his initial aboriginal initiation at the age of thirteen. He has watched indigenous men go through and recover for severe mental illness and to this end has done mentoring and indigenous counselling whilst encouraging indigenous men to pursue medicine. Aboriginal people have the highest. rate of suicide in the world. Tragically in the five to seventeen year old cohort, suicide is the leading cause of death.

 

Myles shared the personal difficulties he faced in getting to this stage of his medical training and thanks the support from fellow students, friends and his new bride for overcoming these hurdles. He has completed a four year psychology degree before embarking on his medical course. Despite these obstacles, Myles is now the highest performing indigenous student in Medicine at James Cook University and this year sees the highest number of indigenous medical students enrolling - thirteen - that JCu has ever had.

 

He concludes that rural settings are his best learning environment, given the diversity of experiences and illnesses they present. He also comments that team work is critical; if one member is lost then the treatment collapses.

 

The Rotary Australian Health Fund scholarship that our club contributes to has allowed Myles to travel to remote communities and talk to there elders about health issues and provide advice. He has visited schools and encourages children to aspire to achieve and become doctors. He thanks our Essendon Rotary Club for its generous support and interest.

 

Myles outlined his future plans. He wants to be a consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, after graduating from the James Cook Royal College of Psychiatry. He also wants to change the mode of treatment of indigenous patients, by recognising specific cultural elements of mentally unwell indigenous patients. Myles’ ultimate goal is to provide mental health programs in Townsville, Cairns and north thereof. In particular to provide outreach services to indigenous patients in these regions. He will do all that he can to make sure that people and teams are well trained in rendering first aid and being able to identify heath problems.

He will join the  7 out of some 4,000 Psychiatrists registered in Australia with indigenous cultural experience, which is the main determinant in successful treatment.

 

Myles ends his most interesting and inspiring talk with a humble observation :

‘my professional journey is collective one, not an individual one.’ As indeed will be his personal life, given his very recent marriage. 

 

President Denis thanked Myles and on behalf of RCE wished him all the best remarking  that Myles’ talk was fantastic and shows how big an impact that a scholarship can have.

 

 

 

1. President Denis went to the Moonee Valley Foundation evening. This foundation is thirty years old and gives grants and awards to young adults to help them grow and develop and assist the broader community.

 

2. Sunil Perera reported on the very successful curry night 0n Augus14 2026. Financially the evening generated a net surplus of $2,500 from total receipts of $5,570. Sunil noted that help was given by lot of people, and the member turnout was tremendous.

 3. Christine Hilbert updated on the Comedy for a Cause event. Ticket have arrived and we need to sell 70 to break even. We also need sponsors for the event.

 

4  Michael Portelli spoke of a planned lunch at he Mount Macedon Hoel on 15 November 2026. It may be possible to have afternoon tea at the Crisella Mansion.

 5. In terms of wellness report, Maria Kouppas may have a long recovery period Lisa Lowcock is ‘going fine’ and is wearing a moonboot.

 

6. President Denis wants us to reignite the interclub competitions with Essendon North. We need to find the trophy. President Denis added that we may be able to members from the MV bee keeping club.

 

7. Finally, the Brewing night mentioned in the previous Contact could be another potential social night. We need 10 participants.

 

Meeting closed and a reminder that the next meeting is on September 1 2026.

 

 

 

 

 

DEAR LADIES,
YES WE ARE again holding our Oaks Day Luncheon this year to again raise funds for Cancer Research.
I have attached for your information and distribution to friends a Flyer with ALL details.
You will note that this year the Event will be held at the ULTIMA FUNCTION CENTRE IN THE BEAUTIFUL MEC BALLROOM in Keilor Park. Unfortunately, the Hyatt priced themselves out of the market and we had to find another Venue.

We have endeavored to keep prices to a minimum and this year the Package cost is $110 p.p. which includes a 3 Course Meal, all Drinks and Free Parking. The Luncheon will run from 12.30pm to 5.30pm to ensure it includes the feature Race the Crown Oaks Race.

Please check Flyer for All details and may I suggest you book early as we have carry over bookings from last year. We look forward to catching up again. Thank you for your support for this most worthy cause.

Please contact me if you have any queries/concerns.
Regards.
Barry Coleman.
Convenor.
Rotary Club of Essendon North.
0427852062.

________________________________________

 

 

 

During the first half of 2026, the Dental Unit at Ruben Health Centre recorded significant progress in expanding access to quality and comprehensive oral healthcare services. The unit provided 1,424 dental services to 719 patients, representing 53% of the annual target by the end of Quarter Two.

 

The availability of a modern dental unit has been a major contributor to this progress. The new equipment has significantly improved the quality, efficiency, safety, and range of dental services provided at the facility. Before the installation of the modern dental chair, the facility relied on an old and outdated dental chair that made it difficult for dental professionals to perform some procedures promptly and effectively.

The modern dental unit has improved patient confidence and comfort while enabling dental professionals to undertake more advanced procedures, including fillings, root canal treatment, and tooth replacement. Improved lighting, adjustable positioning, and enhanced functionality have also made the unit more suitable for children, older people, and patients with mobility or back-related challenges.

The increased demand for dental services has also enabled the facility to expand service availability from two days per week to five days per week, significantly improving access for patients.

 

The unit also prepared and fitted 66 dentures, helping beneficiaries restore essential functions such as chewing and speaking while improving their overall quality of life.

In addition to clinical services, the unit strengthened community and school-based oral health promotion. A full-time Community Oral Health Officer supported consistent oral health education, screening, active case-finding, referrals, and community engagement. Community outreaches screened 119 people, with 41 individuals referred for urgent dental review, while school-based oral health education reached 3,123 pupils, with 26 children referred for further examination.

 

The reporting period also saw continued improvement in healthcare waste management following the investment in an incinerator. The incinerator is performing well and has strengthened the facility's capacity to manage healthcare waste. While the facility continues to work with a licensed healthcare waste management service provider as the process of obtaining the required National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) operational licence is finalized, the investment has reduced reliance on external services and strengthened the facility's waste management capacity.